What's wrong with flowers?

Valentine's Day means cut flowers are in high demand. We in Germany are such big flower fans that a good 80% of the cut flowers sold here have to be imported because our demand is simply too great. While flowers may appear organic and green, they actually have a poor ecological footprint.
This depends on various factors. Valentine's Day is known to be in February, a month that is still quite cold in Germany. The typical bouquet flowers will not be found in the open air. That means the flowers will be either with long transport routes (e.g. roses often from Kenya) imported to Germany. So lots of flowers will be extra for the big day (and the rest of the year too) flown in. If they don't come from far away, but it's actually still too cold for the colorful bouquets, they probably will with a lot of energy input in heated greenhouses raised. That pulls the ecological balance extremely downwards.

Next to the seasonality one should pay attention to how the flowers were grown and harvested. Organic and fair trade are important seals here. With conventional cultivation there is high use of pesticides and consumption of water. Not cool for the planet and absolutely not cool for workers and local residents. A rose from Kenya, for example, uses 4 liters of water on average before it is harvested. A resource that is very valuable there. Keep your eyes open Fairtrade seals should be kept, since wages and safety are usually neglected in the industry, while extreme working hours and child labor are not uncommon.

How to buy better than flowers?

• The person may also be happy to grow the flowers themselves. This year give away a pair of Seedbombs for a beautiful colorful bee pasture, for the garden or balcony. Your loved ones can enjoy it much longer.
• If you absolutely want flowers, make sure they're fair trade and organic.
• Support your locals and try to buy flowers from your region.
• Stick to a seasonal bouquet. If you're not quite sure what's in season for February, take a look at ours Wildflower Calendar.
• They are guaranteed to be seasonal if you simply pick a bouquet yourself.